[Solved] Building an i5 Gaming Computer

oh, ye of little faith.

a decent i5-2500K system is around $700-750.
Add a $150 monitor, a 2.1 sound system, and a decent keyboard and mouse, and you're in at $900-950

No one was replying for a long time in the other thread, so I made this one.

Yes, I do need a monitor. The two computers I have are laptops, so yeah.

I have no HDDs and Idk if I live near a microcenter.

@ Above post: Thanks! So a Case doesn't need any ventilation holes?

I don't see a gpu in that combo.

Sorry, I meant GPU. Fixed that in previous post.

The 6870 GPU is the best one I can get and stay within my budget?

ATM, I play Runescape and Pokemon games on the No$GBA Emulator. I want to get into some of the third-person shooter and racing games though.

The thing is, I have never owned a game system, so I've never known what games were out and never got to experience any recent shooting or racing games out, so I used Emulator No$GBA to play Pokemon.

Hey guys, so I'm looking to build the exact same thing with the exact same budge ( I have a lap top, so I need a monitor, mouse, etc. also). I'm wondering if the build suggested with the i5 2500 would viably play upcoming games like SW:TOR and Diablo 3 on high settings? I have never built a machine before, so this is new to me, but this thread looked like a good start! Also, would this leave room for improvement?...since I should be able to put in another $100 every month into the machine.

i5 2500k http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115072 220

MSI Z68A-G43 (G3) LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813130621 100$

for now get 4gb single stick
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231313 22$

any dvd burner 17$

nzxt gamma case 40$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811146061

gtx 560ti
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127578 265$

sqrl specified items
Haanspree 23" 1920x1080 monitor: $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824262017

Rosewill USB keyboard: $6.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823201028

HEC 800dpi Mouse: $9.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6826281002

samsung f3 1tb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152185 150$

ocz 600w psu,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341022 70$

total i think it will be arround 1030$

for you mate

They are both nice builds. You can see they save money in certain areas (keyboard/mouse, hard drive, motherboard, ram and case) these are generally safe areas to skimp on. You can see both builds put the money in the gpu, power supply and cpu, these are the most important components for gaming. I believe Manu 11's build is slightly stronger but will be a bit more expensive.

A dual monitor can provide a panoramic view or one screen can show windows while the other is in game but this setup can require more video card power.

A gaming computer can run the internet!

I edited my post to say manu 11's is slightly better hehe. The case fans should provide enough cooling for your initial build. The cpu's also come with a fan and thermal paste for free and there's a fan on the graphics card as well. If you begin to overclock your system you may then need to step up your cooling.

EDIT2: What is the difference between Core Clock, Memory Clock, and Shader Clock?

Someone else may be able to explain this better. I generally google the cards performance tests and compare them that way. For these builds you could google "gtx 560 ti vs HD 6870" and you will get some good testing with visual graphs for comparison.

Either system can handle an overclock for sure. You would just need to get an aftermarket fan and heatsink for your cpu and crank up the fan on the graphics card using some overclocking software (provided by the company that makes your card.) Water cooling is another option but is way more expensive, someone else can explain it better or there are many resources online explaining the details.

You would just need to add a fan like this to your build if you want to OC your cpu. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835103065 You can OC the video card without adding anything, you would just need to turn up the fan speed with the software.

I live in the USA, specifically Frisco, Texas.

So many complicated choices to make when choosing out parts. This is exactly why I posted this topic, because I would have had no clue on how to know if certain parts work with each other.

Anyway, keep the suggestions coming.

EDIT: For the games I will be playing, what is a good size for the HDD? Would I really need 1TB? Also, any ATX Case will work right?

Wow, I'm the other guy who asked about pretty much the same thing, and I live in Houston, Tx lol. But, I'll probably be building the exact same thing as you man. Hope these questions are answered soon.

I don't play WoW. The only MMORPG I play is Runescape and that is a browser-based game that runs on Java.

You could get a 500gb hdd, no trouble with that, 1tb is just the standard now. Also, if you play browser/java games, will you play other games when/if you make a new computer? If not just about any GPU would work, and you wouldn't have really any need to OC.

HAF 922, antec 300, CM storm scout (it has a handle, and a sturdy one at that), HAF 912

Hey, since you are new to the whole gaming thing, you should check out the Battlefield Series, as it's amazing in my opinion. I recently got BF3, and it really blows COD out of the water. Just a game thought for you.

As for the EVO/Hyper 212 comment, I'm pretty sure it's because they were trying to keep below 1k, so that 4 bucks makes a difference. I would pay for the EVO as it's only slightly more expensive.

Thanks for the case and game suggestions.

However, someone has yet to tell me which build is the best so far.

Gaming computers way more. That is a fact. But if you want something lighter, go with the mid tower cases. They way less. I would lean to the HAF 912 if I were you. It isn't the lightest, but for a solid cheap case, it's around the best you'll get. Or you could pay more and get the Coolermaster Storm Scout and have a carrying handle that is really good. That is the case I use. Honestly though, if you won't move it all the time, and only occasionally, I wouldn't make that your biggest concern.


I would go with manu's build as it has more graphics power, but around the same on everything else. I would pay a little more for this keyboard set.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823126197

Up to you.

Btw, the biggest advantage the other build has is the nicer mobo. (the first build linked) I would still go with the second build for the graphics power.